Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: Market Traders

  • Residents and Traders in Imo State Cry Out Over Collapsing Market

    Residents and Traders in Imo State Cry Out Over Collapsing Market

    Daily Post reports that traders at the Old Market in Umuna, Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, appealed to Governor Hope Uzodinma over a market block they say is at risk of collapse.

    Traders cite deep structural cracks and a failing foundation, describing the facility as unsafe. Officials who reportedly inspected the site recommended demolition and reconstruction.

    The Nation and Vanguard also reported that a state technical team marked the structure for demolition and that traders are seeking urgent action to prevent loss of life.

    Echotitbits take: Local-market infrastructure failures are recurring—and usually only addressed after tragedy. The right response is rapid risk containment: cordon-off, temporary relocation, and an emergency rebuild plan with transparent contracting. Politically, slow action can trigger backlash in already tense environments.

    Source: Facebook – https://web.facebook.com/ambrose.nwaogwugwu.5/posts/old-market-in-umuna-at-risk-of-collapse-officials-sound-alarm-urge-governor-uzod/1405027687693604/?_rdc=1&_rdr# 2026-01-30

    Photo Credit: Facebook

  • Boat Tragedy in Yobe State Claims 26 Lives as 14 Remain Missing

    Boat Tragedy in Yobe State Claims 26 Lives as 14 Remain Missing

    Figures cited by Tribune Online show that at least 26 people drowned after a boat carrying dozens of farmers and market traders capsized in Yobe State. Emergency services confirmed that 14 others remain missing after the vessel, which was reportedly overloaded, overturned in a remote waterway. The victims were mostly returning from a local market when the incident occurred late Saturday night.

    The Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) noted that the search for survivors is ongoing, though hopes of finding more people alive are fading. Local authorities have blamed the recurring tragedies on the lack of life jackets and the use of aging, wooden canoes for mass transit. This latest disaster has prompted calls from northern governors for a total ban on night travel on the region’s inland waterways.

    Supporting reports from Channels TV and Daily Post highlight the regional grief. Channels TV reported that ‘northern governors have collectively condemned the lack of safety enforcement,’ while Daily Post quoted a survivor who lamented, ‘We were too many on the boat, but there was no other way home.’

    Echotitbits take: Waterway safety in Nigeria remains a ‘primitive’ sector compared to aviation or road transport. Until the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) begins distributing free or subsidized life jackets and enforcing passenger manifests at every local jetty, these ‘market day’ tragedies will continue to haunt the riverine communities.
    Source: ChatNews – https://chatnewstoday.ca/2026/01/04/25-are-dead-and-14-more-missing-after-boat-capsizes-in-nigerias-yobe-state/ January 5, 2026

    Photo Credit: Facebook